Frank Lloyd Wright Treasure Lies In Disrepair

Spring House Owners Want To Save A Jewel Tarnished By Nature And Years Of Neglect.

December 26, 2001|By Beth Kassab, Sentinel Staff Writer

Other parts of the house are worn and neglected. Cobwebs linger near the front door, and a tarp covers the top of the outdoor utility room and carport, which are in desperate need of a new roof that Lewis can't afford.

Bricks are falling from their mortar. Cypress planks near the windows and foundation are rotting.

Inside the home, Wright's original built-in bench along the front curve of the house remains, along with a piano. The place is scattered with artwork and old photographs, as though the family still hasn't decided where to display them. Enormous windows fill the rooms with sunlight.

FOR THE RECORD - ***************************CORRECTION PUBLISHED JANUARY 3, 2002*****************************************************The continuation on Page A16 of a Dec. 26 front-page article about Spring House, Florida's only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house, misstated when George Lewis of Tallahassee died. Lewis, who built Spring House with his wife, Clifton, died in 1996.*****************************************************************************************************************

In 1999, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy newsletter warned that Spring House, which was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, is "at risk," not only from decay but from the approaching development blamed for drying up the spring that gave the house its name.

"Not only is the house in extremely poor condition due to deferred maintenance, but the surrounding property is also prime for future development," the newsletter said. "The preservation of this unique and important structure can no longer be ignored."

NATURE IS HOME'S RUIN

To Clifton Lewis, the house could be more than a home. She talks passionately of creating a "Spring House Institute," where art and architecture students would come to learn and work as apprentices to master craftsman as they repair the home while the family and institute teachers continued to live there.

The logistics of that idea, most notably how to pay for it, have not been resolved. Thomas Schmidt, a member of the conservancy's board and former director of Fallingwater, has repeatedly asked Lewis to protect the house by granting the conservancy legal power to prevent alterations other than restoring the house and its 10 acres to their original state.

Through the years, the family also has talked with various universities and foundations about taking over the property. In many cases, the expense of restoration -- more than $200,000 by one estimate -- and maintenance has been the deal breaker.

Kevin Schweizer, son of Nils Schweizer and an architect in New Smyrna Beach, said the cost of restoration is so high because Wright's homes were handcrafted, much the way that a Rolls-Royce is assembled.

"Each home was handmade," said Kevin Schweizer, who drew the plans several years ago for Spring House's new roof. "When Wright's work was done, it was a lot easier to get quality craftsmen. Now they're out there, but you've got to pay for them."

The once-prominent banking family doesn't have the money to restore the home themselves. And so far, the family has rejected the idea of selling to someone with the financial means to restore it.

"This is our private home," Byrd Mashburn said. "We've lived in it since my mother asked Mr. Wright to build it. It's not a community project."

Although Wright homes on the market range in price from $250,000 to more than $1 million, Spring House was appraised by the Leon County property appraiser at about $157,000. It is, to be sure, the most unusual fixer-upper in the state.

"But really, it's worth it because of the great beauty," the conservancy's Schmidt said. "Wright was a titanic artist, as great as Picasso or Michelangelo."

Kevin Schweizer added: "We can keep doing Band-Aids for a long time, but it isn't going to complete it."

Until that happens, the natural elements that Frank Lloyd Wright treasured in his architecture will continue to work their ruin on Spring House.